RACING YORK REPORT:A BRITISH royal triumph in the Derby is now a distinct possibility after Queen Elizabeth's Carlton House ran out an impressive winner of the Dante Stakes at York yesterday.

The Dante has a fantastic record for producing winners of the blue riband event at Epsom, with last year’s winner, Workforce, even breaking the mould by getting beaten on the Knavesmire but still winning on the first Saturday in June.

Michael Stoute, who trains Workforce, has always held Carlton House in high regard, immediately telling the queen’s racing manager, John Warren, a Derby trial was on the agenda after he won a Newbury maiden by nine lengths last October.

He had been held up in his home work, first by the unusually dry spring, and secondly when he got some puss in a foot, but he was still towards the head of the betting for the premier Classic leading up to the race.

With Henry Cecil’s highly-touted World Domination and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Seville, second in a Group One last season, in the line-up, it was certainly a trial of the highest calibre.

Unfortunately, the early pace set by Hughie Morrison’s Pisco Sour was pedestrian, which rendered the first half of the race irrelevant.

Carlton House (11 to 4) was a little reluctant to go into the stalls, and then sweated up a bit, which perhaps led to him racing fairly keenly throughout the race.

Seville tracked Pisco Sour to the two-furlong pole when distress signals were being sent out by Tom Queally on World Domination.

Ryan Moore could be spotted travelling well on the winner but appeared to have nowhere to go.

But for one with so little experience he showed a great attitude to squeeze through the smallest of gaps between Seville and Pisco Sour to go away and win impressively by a length and a half.

The queen has not had a runner in the Derby since Church Parade finished fifth to Shergar in 1981.

“I’m very pleased with him. We thought it could be a messy race, and it certainly turned out to be that,” said Stoute, winning his sixth Dante. “He learned a bit and I was delighted.

“He went through a tight opening and let’s hope he can progress a bit more from that.

“We had him ready for this as we couldn’t find a race prior to the Dante.”

“I would be surprised if the trip was a problem in the Derby.”

Warren added: “That was better than I expected as I was slightly pessimistic.

“I loved the way he went through the gap as it shows he’d have no trouble with a course like Epsom where you might get trouble.”

O’Brien was satisfied with the performance of runner-up Seville. “It was a very good race and a very good trial,” he said. “We are delighted with our fellow, but the winner picked up better than we did.

“We can’t complain, and the likelihood is he’ll go to Epsom.”

Morrison said of Pisco Sour: “He’s run a very good race – better than anyone would have thought.

“We came here thinking the ground would be good to soft, but it ended up being quite quick.

“I thought we might end up running in the Queen’s Vase at Ascot, but we obviously have to look at the Derby now.”

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for fourth-placed World Domination’s owner, Khalid Abdullah, said: “We are happy enough, but he’s still a big baby.

“At this stage I’d say Epsom is unlikely – he might go to Ascot.”

Dante sponsors totesport make Carlton House their new 2 to 1 favourite (from 4s), with Seville unchanged at 6 to 1, the same price as stablemate Recital, the Derrinstown Trial winner.